What's on your mind? Our Opinion Panel share their thoughts on the issues of the day

Russian interests

In 1939, Winston Churchill famously called Russia "a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma." The same could be said about Syria and the conundrum over what form the US response to the Assad regime should take. I, for one, am grateful diplomacy is being tried first instead of an air strike.

Ironically, the rest of Churchill's quote continues "?but perhaps there is a key: That key is Russian national interest." Let's hope the Russian deal to collect and destroy their longtime ally Syria's chemical weapons is a substantial enough "national interest" for Russia and indeed comes to fruition.

Carol Myers

Town of Wilson

Amateurs

Speaking of 9/11, it's been 12 years. Even though we captured the mastermind who confessed, he still hasn't even been tried. We're willing to defend Syrians, but our own 3,000-plus can wait. Our administration is populated by teacher lounge amateurs.

George Kren

Oostburg

Double standard

It's interesting to see right-wingers and neo-conservatives falling all over themselves to come out against US military action in Syria. This demonstrates the hypocrisy of the extreme right. When Bush attacked Iraq, the right was super-supportive (and so were some Democrats). Remember "if you support the troops you must support the mission" and "you're either with us or against us?"

Republicans lectured the public that "when the commander-in-chief decides to act, we must all fall in line" and how the President didn't need anyone's approval to use military force. Now, these people are hootin'-n-hollerin' about a limited strike on Syria. These are the same people who wanted to attack Iran over nuclear weapons in the planning stage and bomb (or even nuke) North Korea. They often invoked the brutality of those regimes and said the US had to lead.

How hypocritical is it when these people argue for military action and American leadership when they like the President and become pacifists when they don't?

David Henning

Sheboygan

Use diplomacy

The proposal for Syria to ratify the non-proliferation treaty and give up its chemical weapons should be taken very seriously. It is out there publicly and the diplomatic proposal is a thousand times better than Obama's idea of bombing in order to punish the Syrian government. Some of us are old enough - or informed enough - to recall the resolution of the Cuban missile crisis half a century ago, which averted military action involving nuclear weapons sent to Cuba by the Soviet Union.

Robert Kennedy brilliantly and successfully suggested accepting a conciliatory Soviet note and simply ignoring a hard-line one. The Soviets were smart enough to agree and the nuclear missiles were promptly shipped out of Cuba. Never underestimate the persuasive power of taking someone at their word.

James Tobin

Town of Wilson

Full accounting needed

After watching and listening to the fire department and their billing company representative explain how three different methods of accounting figure into the bottom line of the cost to provide ambulance service by the fire department, that cost should be determined by a complete accounting and publishing of all expenses.

Every man-hour, not just four men, lease payments, fuel, upkeep, supplies, insurance and all other expenses connected to the service. Then an actual dollar amount of money collected and deposited should be published also. Accounts recievable that are not or cannot be collected should not be considered regardless of accounting practices. A total cost to the city to be in the ambulance business is what the people are entitled to see. Is the bottom line black or red?

Jack Wirtz

Sheboygan

Fundamental imbalance

When it comes to funding our country's priorities, let me say that the United States is number one - in getting it wrong. We seem to have no problem anteing up missiles to show our military strength, or chasing whistleblowers who pull back the curtain. But the real strength of a country is its people - the workers and families trying to get by every day. What do they get? Stagnant wages (some get none), dwindling retirement prospects as Wall Street maintains its stranglehold on our politicians, ever more expensive tuition for even a mediocre education, and elimination of access to public lands because a mining firm buys some legislators.

There is a fundamental imbalance between our populace and our leaders. First, they are not leaders, but money grubbers who will sell us out at the drop of a dollar bill. I am not sure what the answer is, but it does not reside in either political party. It resides in the grassroots. We need to organize, protest, and throw sand into this machine that currently passes for our political process. Campaign financing and electoral redistricting reform would be an excellent start.

Mark Briese

Sheboygan

Ridiculousness

Lately I have received some quotations that I would like to share. Definition of insanity by Ben Stein: "Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are inured ... but not everyone must prove they are insured."

"And now, any of those who refuse, or are unable, to prove they are citizens will receive free insurance paid for by those who are forced to buy insurance because they are citizens."

Another by an unknown author: "We are told not to judge all Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge all gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics." It's amazing how some people can express the ridiculousness of some government policies.

Norman Veldboom

Oostburg

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What's on your mind? Our Opinion Panel share their thoughts on the issues of the day

In 1939, Winston Churchill famously called Russia 'a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.' The same could be said about Syria and the conundrum over what form the US response to the Assad

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